1.3.1 Operation Northwoods

In 1962, the military-industrial complex sought to invade Cuba. However, following the failed Bay Of Pigs invasion, there was little public support for such action. And so, members of the Kennedy Administration devised a plan to carry out a false-flag terrorist attack which they could blame on Cuba. The plan was ultimately rejected by President Kennedy, although a similar technique was used two years later against Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin incident. This plan remained classified until 1998, and now appears on the CIA website.

Among the plans were bombings in American cities, false arrests and plane hijackings. Some selected quotations:

"We could blow up a U.S. ship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba … casualty lists in U.S. newspapers would cause a helpful wave of national indignation."

"[We could] create an incident which will demonstrate convincingly that a Cuban aircraft has attacked and shot down a chartered civil airliner en route from the United States to Jamaica, Guatemala, Panama or Venezuela. The destination would be chosen only to cause the flight plan route to cross Cuba. The passengers could be a group of college students off on a holiday or any grouping of persons with a common interest to support chartering a non-scheduled flight."

"We could develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington… The terror campaign could be pointed at Cuban refugees seeking haven in the United States."

"[We could create] a series of well coordinated incidents to take place in and around [the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba]… [We could dress up "friendly" Cubans in Cuban military uniforms and then have them] start riots near the main gate of the base. Others would pretend to be saboteurs inside the base. Ammunition would be blown up, fires started, aircraft sabotaged, mortars fired at the base with damage to installations."